Range instructor shot

JudgeDredd · August 28, 2014, 01:21:41 AM

The US and your gun laws are always news. No more so when a tragic incident occurs.

This time, it was a 9 year old girl who shot her instructor - by accident I might add - when the gun was seemingly switched to automatic apparently accidentally.

I know about the right to bear arms. I've heard many reasons why people say it works. I can understand those arguments also.

But when I hear stories involving kids it just breaks my heart.

This wee girl, who is still a kid, has to face the rest of her life knowing what happened, seeing it likely every day and every night.

Anyway - no flame war - I just wanted to express how sad it is (especially sad to me) that children's innocence is being eroded everyday (not just by gun laws in the US by the way)...just in general.

Anyway - my thoughts are with the instructors family and for the wee girl for the rest of her life.

MikeGER · August 28, 2014, 01:58:25 AM

indeed :-\

i saw a video in our news, which split second before it happend,

IMHO the instructor stood in the wrong position?
(the shooter is right handed so the instructor has to be on the right side slightly behind the trainee)

also personally even if its inside the law at that place i would refuse to teach such a young and especially 'small' (physical arm and hand strength) customer with that Mini UZI weapon. Should her dad or uncle take the risks involved...

if its all about unleash a shot from a full auto capable weapon ...let her pull the trigger on a MG42 mounted on a tripod

Jarhead0331 · August 28, 2014, 02:21:46 AM

The instructor here is 100% at fault. He made various mistakes that resulted in this very tragic accident.

Of course, the media, through their ignorance, will capitalize on this and use it as just another excuse to argue that guns are evil. Their lack of understanding and technical knowledge is astounding and I have already seen reporters discussing the incident with big pictures of evil military style assault weapons plastered onto the background screens. Excuse me, what does an AR15 have anything to do with this? Clearly, they are trying to stoke the fears of sandy hook.

God damn it, they disgust me...but I digress. Anyway, much Sympathy to the young lady, her family, the instructor and his family. For the record, if it was my daughter, she would not have been shooting that gun.

undercovergeek · August 28, 2014, 02:34:49 AM

ah, good - thats what i wanted to ask you

does it make any sense at all to have a 9 year old on the range?

bayonetbrant · August 28, 2014, 05:12:29 AM

Quote from: undercovergeek on August 28, 2014, 02:34:49 AMdoes it make any sense at all to have a 9 year old on the range?

Yes, with an appropriate weapon.

undercovergeek · August 28, 2014, 05:13:42 AM

Quote from: bayonetbrant on August 28, 2014, 05:12:29 AM
Quote from: undercovergeek on August 28, 2014, 02:34:49 AMdoes it make any sense at all to have a 9 year old on the range?

Yes, with an appropriate weapon.

to practice for all those armed combat situations she'll come across at 9?

bayonetbrant · August 28, 2014, 05:21:46 AM

To learn how to properly behave on a range and an appreciation for how to treat weapons and the people around them

My son's first trip to the range was right after he turned 10. It was a shooting sports day sponsored by Cub Scouts. They had 3 different things they did you there: archery, air rifles w/ pellets, and small-caliber rifles. His group ran out of time before they got to the "real" rifles.
I also know a lot of friends who grew up hunting with parents and were safely carrying and firing live weapons at 7 and 8 years old

Barthheart · August 28, 2014, 05:27:45 AM

Agreed. Proper gun safety is a good thing to teach young people especially if you have guns in the house.

But have a 9 yr old girl shooting an automatic weapon seems a bit much. Rifles, sure, hand guns maybe if their small calibre, uzi's.... Maybe not.

Capn Darwin · August 28, 2014, 05:59:36 AM

Heard the story yesterday, but my question is, what is an automatic weapon doing on a range that is not either military or police controlled? I recall something about civilians not having automatic weapons, but maybe the rules have changed and I'm just getting too old to remember. Tragic event all the way around. And the backlash should be a focus on safe use not that is was a gun incident. I agree.

BanzaiCat · August 28, 2014, 06:20:15 AM

The news report's video had several shots of the outside of the gun range; they had a sign that proclaimed "SHOOT A MACHINE GUN" with "blam pow boom blam blam" or words to that effect coming out to the sides of that proclamation. Clearly, that was a draw for the range, and the report further said they'd been in business for 12 years. Not sure if they'd been allowing people to shoot automatic weapons for that time, but it was obviously something they did to draw people in. Apparently they'd never had an issue before this.

That said, I'm in agreement that there's no way a 9-year-old should be handling such a powerful weapon. I don't know if she'd handled weapons before or not, but I'd guess probably not as I think her and her family were on vacation and saw the place they probably thought, "Oh how cool, 'blam blam pow,' let's shoot a machine gun! Hey, let's let our little girl do it!"

The news doesn't report the news anymore. They do what they can to keep the attention of weak minds long enough for them to see their advertiser's commercials. And the media has never been a friend of either guns or the 2nd Amendment. I'm not a gun owner myself, but I've been to the range with friends before, and I enjoy the experience.

bayonetbrant · August 28, 2014, 06:58:14 AM

Quote from: Barthheart on August 28, 2014, 05:27:45 AMBut have a 9 yr old girl shooting an automatic weapon seems a bit much. Rifles, sure, hand guns maybe if their small calibre, uzi's.... Maybe not.

That's my opinions on it, as well.

JudgeDredd · August 28, 2014, 07:11:52 AM

You know what....in the UK, they have been advertising, rather strongly and for some time now, push up bras to kids.

This might sound quirky (but I'm a Brit and using that as my defence) but I'm as against kids wearing push up bras as I am them shooting weapons and purely on the basis that they're kids.

Let them be kids and grow up later.

Greybriar · August 28, 2014, 07:32:17 AM

Here's the link to The Wall Street Journal article about the accident.

Tragic.

undercovergeek · August 28, 2014, 07:49:28 AM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on August 28, 2014, 07:11:52 AM
You know what....in the UK, they have been advertising, rather strongly and for some time now, push up bras to kids.

This might sound quirky (but I'm a Brit and using that as my defence) but I'm as against kids wearing push up bras as I am them shooting weapons and purely on the basis that they're kids.

Let them be kids and grow up later.

this is where im standing too but i can see its a us/uk thing

DoctorQuest · August 28, 2014, 09:21:10 AM

I wonder if there is a case for charging the parents with reckless endangerment. Someone should get punished for this tragedy. I feel for the family of the instructor but I also feel for the young lady. What a thing to be exposed to at such a young age.